The Gambler
by Molten-Ashes
Summary: Smokescreen had to have learned how to gamble from someone...


Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers!

Please R&R

(Crack, starring Smokescreen, Prowl and Red Alert)

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><p>Smokescreen sighed as he finished playing a game of solitaire with his favourite stack of Cybertronian cards, soft, slightly glowing violet metal with a spider web ruby design on the back with a gold orb at the centre of the web, fluttering in his hands as he shuffled them. He set down the rare cards and took a liberal swig of his energon as he heard the familiar pede-steps of his brother.<p>

"Why so down Brother?" Prowl's soft baritone asked as he entered the empty Rec-Room, collecting a ration of energon and sitting across from his second youngest sibling, setting his data-pad down beside him.

"Nobody wants to play, not even over the comms! Days off for me suck! I'm banned from Vagas! Vagas!" Smokescreen whined childishly as Prowl offered him an uncharacteristic smirk "What good is being The Gambler when nobody lets me gamble anymore?"

"That's because you always seem to win" Prowl smirked into his cube "Let them win once in a while, then you might make more of a profit, the betting pools aren't really that profitable. Remember, the role of The Gambler is to keep people entertained while they lose credits and sometimes gain some."

"Yeah, yeah" Smokescreen grumbled as Red Alert stalked into the Rec-Room on his own for once "Hiya Red; didn't know you came apart from that Fire Truck of yours!"

The Security Director gave him a poisonous glare before settling himself beside Prowl with his energon. "Inferno is recharging, I didn't want to wake him"

"I'm surprised you made it down here without freaking out" Smokescreen grinned going back to shuffling his cards.

"Where did you get them?" Red Alert asked, his optics narrowing on the ruby spider web pattern with the golden orb at its centre

"I've had them ever since I was thirty vorns old" Smokescreen admitted as he dealt out the cards between Prowl and himself "game of Go Fish?"

"Alright" Prowl agreed as Red Alert liberally plucked a card from the spare cards set between them and examined it closely

"The symbol looks an awful lot like the calling card of The Gambler" Red Alert frowned tracing the slightly raised pattern

"Uh-huh" Smokescreen said absentmindedly before looking up at Prowl "Do you have any Fours?"

"Go Fish" Prowl said his usual stoic faceplate breaking out in a soft smile as Smokescreen stuck out his glossa at him and plucked a card from the un-dealt stock "How do you know the symbol Red Alert?"

"I was on the enforcer team trying to break up The Gambler's gambling ring in Praxus before the war" the Security Director admitted turning the card in his fingers before slotting it back into the middle pile as Prowl was handed Smokescreen's seven. "We never even got close to breaking it up before the war started, and we received new intel that the original Gamber handed his title down to his brother."

Prowl stiffened slightly as he handed Smokescreen a five "You wouldn't know anything about it would you Prowl?" Red Alert asked spotting the sudden tensing of the Tacticians frame.

"No" the black and white Praxian said as Smokescreen's optics wearily shifted between them "I've heard to the Gambler though"

Red Alert hummed before draining his cube of energon and rising from his seat as Prowl asked for a six "If you will excuse me, I have to get back to my cameras before the Twins get to them"

Prowl inclined his helm to the Security director as Smokescreen waved with his cards in the shape of a fan. As soon as the red and white mech had left, both Praxians sighed with relief "That was close eh?" Smokescreen laughed as Prowl drew another card from the pile when his brother didn't hand him his desired card.

"The enforcers always were a bit slow trying to catch me" Prowl admitted as they continued the game "Good thing I handed over Leadership of The Gambler's ring to you when I did"

Smokescreen grinned "Aww you flatter me brother, I learned from the best after all"

Prowl smirked tossing his cards onto the table as his chronometer chimed, reminding him to return to his shift "It seems I win Smokey"

"What?" the blue and red brother with the yellow chevron cried leaning over to view Prowl's perfect set spread in a fan on the table. "Aww, frag it!"

"My old cards haven't failed me yet, plus I've taught you all the tricks of the gambling trade in and out of the box" Prowl smiled as he handed them back to the grumbling Smokescreen, rising from the table with his data-pad "I'll see you and Bluestreak for evening energon"

"Yeah, yeah" the middle brother of the trio sighed stacking his inherited cards and beginning to shuffle them again as most of the crew that had just come off of the afternoon shift filed into the Rec-Room. "Let the gaming begin" Smokescreen grinned as the Twins, Grapple and Hoist sat at his table.

Five minutes into the game, Ratchet went storming past the Rec-Room cursing up a storm on his way to the Security Room. Smokescreen smirked behind his fan of cards with the ruby spider's web and golden orb centre "Guess Red Alert was eavesdropping again"


End file.
